Report sought on allotment of state land despite SC ban

Suspended revenue officials reinstated to access records for preparing the report

KARACHI:

Land Utlisation Department of Sindh secretary has issued notices to 14 land revenue officers or mukhtiarkars of Karachi on the order of the Sindh High Court regarding allotment and regularisation of valuable state lands in the city despite a ban imposed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

These notices have been issued through the deputy commissioners of Malir, East, West, Korangi and Keamari districts to the 14 mukhtiarkars who were suspended by the interim revenue minister but later reinstated.

The notice states that the Supreme Court of Pakistan had imposed a ban on allotment of state lands on November 28, 2012, however, till date measures were taken by officials to devise means bypass the ban. The notice said that records of allotment and regularisation of lands from November 28, 2012 to August 25, 2023 were sought from the mukhtiarkars concerned but they submitted unsatisfactory and doubtful reports which did not conform to the prescribed proforma.

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It said the mukhtiarkars were guilty of non-compliance on the issue of sensitive state interests. The matter of their non-compliance was brought to the notice of the Caretaker Revenue Minister Sindh, who issued orders to suspend 14 mukhtiarkars under the Sindh Service Ordinance.

In the notice, the Land Utilisation Department secretary has made it clear that on August 31, during the direct meeting with the mukhtiarkars, they were informed about the flaws, wrong reporting, concealment of flaws with the facts in the submitted detailed and comprehensive reports by them and they were directed to re-prepare a comprehensive report with correct facts and figures and submit it then by removing the flaws.

The secretary said that the suspended mukhtiarkars were deprived of the facility to access the relevant records due to their suspensions, so restoring all the mukhtiarkars to their same positions once again, they are directed to submit the required report through the order of the Sindh High court orders dated September 2, 2023.

The notice said that the issue of allotment/regularisation of state lands is very sensitive, and unnecessary delay has already been caused by trying to hide the facts related to state property, therefore, departmental action will be taken against the officers who fail to provide information.

In absence of digitisation, land revenue records remain a jumble of files that only the low-rank revenue officials like mukhtiarkars and patwaris can explain. Such is the power of these land revenue officials that the government had to roll back the suspension orders of 14 muktiarkars so that they could furnish the required report.